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Dr. Tammy Balatgek at the Center for TMJ & Sleep Disorders, Cumru Township. The all-too-familiar afternoon slump causing many to seek out coffee after a poor night's sleep could be caused by a release of adrenalin all night long, because of the body working hard to get oxygen.

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Balatgek working with a patient.

Don't let sleep suffer

Lack of proper rest can pose serious problems at work, home and with health.

FYI

Center For TMJ & Sleep Disorders LLC

Location: 2433 Morgantown Road, Suite 200, Cumru Township

Phone: 610-796-2835

Website: www.tmjsleepcenter.com

Express Employment Professionals

Location: 840 N. Park Road, Wyomissing

Phone: 610-750-7898

Website: www.ExpressPros.com/berkscountypa

Written by By Karen L. Chandler

It may seem there are never enough hours in the day to keep up with work responsibilities, household chores and spending quality time with family and friends.

The first thing to suffer could be a good night's sleep, said Dr. Tammy Balatgek, a graduate of Brandywine Heights School District and Ohio State University's dental school.

Balatgek has a master's from Tufts University in craniofacial pain management and owns the Center for TMJ & Sleep Disorders, Cumru Township.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute confirms that adults should be sleeping seven or eight hours a night. Less than that causes a sleep debt, with potentially serious consequences at work, home and internally.

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Physical or psychological issues could be culprits robbing people of the deep sleep needed to restore their bodies overnight.

Balatgek of Spring Township explained that a lack of oxygen during the night could cause overweight snorers and people with structural jaw issues from ever entering deep sleep.

People running on empty with insufficient sleep to provide overnight healing could experience anxiety or depression.

"During sleep, melatonin converts to serotonin," Balatgek said.

Without serotonin at the proper levels in the body, a person is liable to feel irritable and moody and struggle with relationships on the job or with family and friends.

The all-too-familiar afternoon slump causing many to seek out coffee after a poor night's sleep could be caused by a release of adrenaline all night long, because of the body working hard to get oxygen.

Balatgek's new-patient coordinator Melissa Brill of Exeter Township said the jaw issues causing her to lose oxygen overnight had her exhausted at work by 2 p.m.

"It was very hard to concentrate," she said. "I used to go home and take naps."

Balatgek adds chronic pain to the list of ill effects of sleep deprivation that causes a lack of healing hormones to be produced overnight.

"People who don't sleep well tend to feel more pain," she said.

They could be misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia or other disorders, all possible contributors to poor attendance on the job.

And unfortunately, Balatgek said, people who lack sleep are likely to gain weight.

Seeking out a source of fast energy could lead to bulking up on carbohydrates, she confirmed, but noted the hormones made to control weight are among those the body produces during deep sleep.

Dan Brumbach of Cumru Township, owner of Express Employment Professionals, Wyomissing, confirms that no one can do his or her best on the job without enough sleep. For him, safety is critical.

Express places 60 percent of its employees into industrial positions, with many intended to be permanent placements.

"In a manufacturing environment, if you're not fully awake or alert, you have the potential to do yourself harm," Brumbach said. "We don't want anyone getting hurt."

Brill started working for Balatgek during an externship program through Berks Technical Institute and found it eye-opening to learn how much she had in common with patients seeking help for sleep problems.

"I could go to bed or fall asleep anywhere," Brill said. "I was not sleeping well, and I didn't realize it."

Balatgek found that Brill's ear ringing, digestive problems, hearing loss and chronic upper back pain were due to a lack of oxygen at night caused by the structure of the roof of Brill's mouth.

"I wear an appliance every night," Brill said of Balatgek's treatment plan.

She said that as a result, she has increased mobility in her neck and back, easing of stomach and hearing problems and energy during the day.